What's In A Name?
by UnitedPen
Summary: The story of Hortense Mitchell, his steady rise to his most significant relationship, and the boy who made the unsure genius appreciate his name. Kogan.
1. Prologue

Logan was sitting at the kitchen counter, biting his lip in frustration, trying to finish an essay for one of his online college courses.

It was English, probably his worst subject. He hated analyzing a hundred different meanings from one simple text. Of course, being a genius, he was doing quite well in the class, but he really preferred math and science.

Regardless of his feelings toward the subject, Logan knew he had to complete the essay. It wasn't due until Monday but Logan liked to get things done ahead of schedule.

Plus being stuck in apartment 2J writing all weekend wasn't really appealing to him.

Logan had been taking college courses for the past couple of years, trying to work toward a pre-medical degree. The band was still going strong so it wasn't like he could ditch his friends and run off to Harvard, even if he was guaranteed to get in.

He was actually surprised they were still together at the age of twenty. Logan thought by this time the band would long be over. James would have started his solo career. Carlos would be a police officer, which according to Carlos was the next best thing to being a superhero, and the Minnesota Wild would have drafted Kendall. Logan, of course, would be well into his postsecondary studies at an Ivy League School.

It hadn't worked out that way and although Logan was astounded Big Time Rush was still able to attract millions of screaming fan girls when they played concerts or did signings, he wouldn't trade it for Harvard or the world.

He loved the rush of going on stage to sing and dance for sold out crowds. He enjoyed going to the studio to record songs that Gustavo and the four of them were still managing to crank out three albums later. Gustavo had even started to treat them more like equals.

But Logan liked to be as logical as he was when he was sixteen. He knew the band would eventually break up and he did not want to be the oldest medical student in history, so he had signed up for online education as soon as the four of them had graduated from school at the Palm Woods

It was tough managing the band and college but so far, Logan was doing a good job of maintaining both of his dreams. Life was good.

"It sure is!"

Logan jumped when he heard an energetic voice right behind him. A blush slowly crept on to his cheeks and he swiveled on the bar stool to face his boyfriend, Kendall Knight.

"I didn't realize I was thinking out loud."

Kendall smirked and leaned forward, his breath ghosting over Logan's lips.

"I think you have too many thoughts running around in that sexy brain of yours. You just couldn't keep them all in there. But I really enjoy hearing what you're thinking…"

Kendall's hands slowly snaked up Logan's thighs, his body leaning closer but his lips not quite close enough to engage Logan in a kiss. Logan's eyes widened and his pupils dilated with lust as he watched the hands that were getting dangerously close to his crotch.

"I especially like hearing your_ dirty thoughts_."

The smaller boy's blush grew even more, but before he could register what was happening, Kendall's lips had claimed his own.

The brunette hummed contently, his lips moving against his boyfriend's. He reached up to tangle his fingers in Kendall's dirty blonde locks.

Kendall growled playfully and started palming Logan's growing erection. Logan moaned and Kendall took the oppourtunity to insert his tongue into Logan's mouth, massaging it against his lover's organ, mapping out Logan's sensitive spots.

Kendall was just about ready to hoist Logan up and move to their bedroom, however, the moment he tried to lift Logan's body; Logan placed his hands on Kendall's chest and pushed him back.

"No Kendall. I don't have time. I really have to finish my homework," Logan whined, attempting to hide the lust his voice that would give away how much he really wanted to give in to the taller boy.

Kendall pouted.

"Come on Logie…you're always working with the band or school. Let's go have some fun!"

Kendall knew his statement wasn't exactly true. Just yesterday Logan had helped James and Carlos with a prank involving a puppy and a jump rope. Logan was also always willing to go to the rink to help Kendall with his slap shot.

Regardless, Kendall thought Logan could be a little more laid back.

"Well excuse me for caring about my future," Logan retorted sarcastically but still at the same time sporting his signature half grin, half frown.

"Hey I care too! Why do you think I go to the rink every chance I get?" Kendall replied, defending his honour.

Logan had to agree. Every time the band had a free day, Kendall liked to practice for a couple hours. He was keeping up his skills in case he ever was lucky enough to join a professional hockey team in the future.

"Well then you understand why this needs to get done."

"You have two more days. You keep reminding me it's due Monday."

Logan shook his head and turned back to his computer.

"No dice. Why don't you go and hang out with James and Carlos at the pool?"

"I don't want to hand out with them. I'm not interested in getting myself in a life or death situation. Besides, I've got a surprise for you."

"Does it involve the bedroom you wanted to take me to a minute ago?"

Kendall grinned, happy Logan always caught on to his moves.

"Nope, it's something completely new and exciting!"

The only response Kendall got was the fast clicking of the keyboard. He bit back a groan, frustrated his little genius could get so caught up in his homework and not even be a little bit curious about the surprise.

Sure, it was cute how devoted he was and yes, Kendall did spring "surprises" of flowers, picnics and love making quite often on Logan to a point where it was almost status quo, but Kendall expected some reaction. He would have to pull out the big guns.

"Hortense Mitchell. I demand you come with me."

Logan's fingers froze and he gasped.

"I told you not to call me that name!"

Kendall's smirk turned into a full-blown smile.

"Why not? It sure gets your attention.

Logan's plump lips jutted forward in a pout.

"Because my name is Logan now. Everyone's used to it and I like it way better."

Kendall reached over to grab Logan's hands and spin him around until he was facing the blonde again.

"I do prefer Logie…" Kendall said, swinging Logan's hands with his own. "But I'll never forget Hortense. Your name is the reason we met, remember?"

Logan nodded, dimples showing as he smiled widely. He remembered that day quite clearly. How could he possibly forget the first day he fell under the Knight charm?

**A/N: This is my first B.T.R. story and the first multi-chapter story I actually want to complete. I don't know how frequent my updates will be because I'll be super busy this summer, but hopefully it won't be too long of a wait. I hope you enjoy the story.**


	2. Chapter 1: Eyes

_11 years previous_

Hortense was sitting at the kitchen table, munching on some homemade cookies that had been left over from his mom's open house. His legs dangled from his chair, not quite reaching the floor. He swung them as he watched his mom put away her real estate papers from work.

He was seriously hungry. His stomach had been growling ever since his mom picked him up from school. He'd tried to hide it by coughing every time the monster made a noise, but if the cookies that were put on a plate and set out the minute mother and son got home were any indication, Mrs. Mitchell had definitely noticed.

Unfortunately for Hortense, Mrs. Mitchell wasn't the type to just let things go, especially when it involved her son. She frowned as she approached the kitchen table. Hortense wasn't usually this hungry during afternoon snack.

As a mother, she tried to pack her son a healthy and hearty lunch every day, knowing Hortense needed it for his studies and maybe to grow a bit taller. The big lunch was usually enough, besides a small snack, to keep him satisfied until dinnertime.

Judging from the six cookies Hortense had already packed away, something had happened to make her son not eat his lunch. As Mrs. Mitchell approached the table and noticed his red, puffy eyes, she had a hunch that it wasn't a good thing.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Mrs. Mitchell said, leaning down beside Hortense's chair.

Hortense inwardly groaned. He'd been hoping against hope that his mother wouldn't ask that question. Although he should have known she would.

But he just didn't want to have to tell her. There was no way Hortense wanted to relive what had happened at school. He didn't want to confess how he had been late getting to the cafeteria because someone tripped him on his way to his locker. And because of that he wasn't able to snag his usual seat in the secluded corner of the lunchroom.

Since Hortense usually ate alone and his peers treated geeks, especially geeks as unpopular as Logan, like a disease that would infect them with un-coolness, no one invited him to come sit down, even when he wandered between the tables for ten minutes, avoiding glares with his cloth bag clasped firmly in his hand.

Just when he had given up on finding a seat and was heading to the bathroom to eat alone in a stall, he had run straight in to Joey, the school bully who had it in for the nine year old.

"Watch it nerd." Joey snapped, pushing the smaller kid. Hortense barely registered the snickers around him as he hit the cement floor hard, his lunch flying out of his hand and scattering around him.

"S-Sorry Joey. I-It won't happen again." Hortense stammered out, keeping his eyes downcast as he tried to pick up his fallen food.

The task didn't work as Joey kicked the boy on the ground in the stomach, causing Hortense to groan.

"It sure won't loser. You better watch yourself. I don't know why you bother coming to school. It's not like you have friends."

He went to kick Hortense again, but fortunately for the smaller boy, Joey spotted out of the corner of his eye a lunch monitor coming toward them. He ceased his actions and bent down next to Hortense, pretending to help him pick up his lunch.

"Listen Hortense," began Joey. Hortenese's eyes widened. Joey always called him degrading names. He didn't even know Joey knew his name. He shouldn't. Hortense knew he wasn't important enough to be remembered. Like Joey had pointed out, he didn't have any friends.

Joey continued, startling Hortense out of his thoughts with a deep, threatening, and mocking tone that made Hortense tremble with fear.

"Gosh what a geeky name but I guess it suits you. Your parents must not love you if they gave you that name. They must want your life to suck. Well I'll help them out. I _will _make your life more miserable than I already do."

Hortense knew he wasn't lying even though he didn't see how it could get any worse. As fast as he could, he sprinted out of the cafeteria, sobs spilling out of his mouth. The tears came thick and fast as Joey's words rang through his head.

But the fear, humiliation, and intimidation from the bully were not the only reason Hortense was devastated. It was also the fact this bullying happened every single day in some form or another. And no one ever stopped to help him.

Admitting that to his mom would just make him feel smaller, weaker, and more helpless then he had already felt that day. Hortense did not particularly those feelings so he shook his head at his mom.

"Nothing's wrong mom."

Mrs. Mitchell knew her son was lying. Not only because she was a mom and not only because Hortense was scarfing down his after school snack faster than lightning, but because her little son's red puffy eyes were always an indication that he had been crying.

Hortense didn't often cry in front of either of his parents because he considered it embarrassing for a nine year old to be showing such "girly" emotions. But when the two did witness their son's tears, it was heartbreaking.

It was even more devastating for Mrs. Mitchell because she knew Hortense didn't have anyone to comfort him when he was at school. At least when he was at home, he had the option to go to his family but Mrs. Mitchell knew outside of the house, he didn't have anyone to turn to.

Mrs. Mitchell had taken a long time to catch on to Hortense's situation at school, making her feel like the worst parent in the world.

It had started off with subtle hints. Hortense would never invite anyone over after school and as he progressed through elementary school, was no longer invited to his classmate's birthday parties. Everyone had gotten to the age when their parents no longer made them invite everyone in the class and Hortense had reached the age where he was officially left out.

Mrs. Mitchell initially thought Hortense was just keeping to himself. It wouldn't be unusual He did like to shut himself up in his room and read for hours on end since he was three.

She also often found him with his doctor's kid his dad had bought him, practicing treatment on his thread-barren teddy bear, Dr. Snuffles. And he was always talking frequently about his vast medical knowledge acquired from his books he borrowed from the library.

Hortense's mother knew Hortense's personality didn't necessarily guarantee instant friends but she had hoped as Hortense grew up he would find people similar to him who shared his interest in acquiring knowledge.

He unfortunately had not and she had turned a blind eye because she, like many parents, did not want to admit her son was in trouble and in pain.

Hortense had aided in her delusion, offering excuses like "my friends are busy" whenever she suggested he invite them over for a weekend.

But the truth finally revealed itself about six months ago. Mrs. Mitchell had gotten off early making a fantastic sell on a house to find Hortense in the upstairs washroom trying to staunch the flow of a bloody nose with a washcloth.

He was also sporting a black eye and upon closer inspection by Mrs. Mitchell, several bruises all over his body.

After a little coaxing, Mrs. Mitchell had been able properly administer first-aid treatment on her son, determining nothing was serious enough for him to go to the hospital.

When she asked what had happened, Hortense had firmly shaken his head and dashed to his room.

Mrs. Mitchell had stood in a daze for a few moments before she had followed her son and found him hidden in his closet, curled up and clutching Dr. Snuffles. Sobs were shaking his small frame.

She had approached him cautiously, her heartstrings tugging more when Hortense slightly flinched.

"O sweetie. What's going on?"

Hortense's answer was merely to cry harder than before so Joanna Mitchell squeezed in beside Hortense in the closet and held him until he finally cried himself out and was able to shakily tell his mom what was going on.

As it turned out, Hortense had accidently bumped into a kid well they were both getting off the school bus. The kid had responded by punching Hortense multiple times before he had managed to dash home.

Even more upsetting was this wasn't the first time Hortense had been beaten up. He had showed his mother faded bruises and cuts that he'd been hiding under his clothing, easy enough to do because Hortense had been dressing himself since kindergarten.

At that moment, Mrs. Mitchell didn't care that Hortense had lied to her. He had been scared. If anything, she was mad at herself. She had failed to protect her son. With both of them in tears Mrs. Mitchell had her son tell her the kids name and despite her son's protests, had stormed out of the room to call his parents. She also called the principal to explain the situation.

The bully was suspended and Mrs. Mitchell was confident that his punishment plus getting the school administration involved would make things easier for Hortense.

Out of precaution, however, she started driving Hortense to and from school but she was still optimistic things would take a turn for the better.

Hortense didn't have the heart to tell her that when the kid, Joey, come back it got worse. Joey now had even more reason to hate Hortense besides Hortense's usual dorkiness.

Since Joey was popular, the story of how Hortense had gotten in trouble had spread, and Hortense was now seen as the tattletale who ran to his mommy and the teachers.

The name-calling escalated. Hortense was tripped every day in the hall and was dragged behind the school and beaten up almost every week.

He tried to stop it by not trying to draw attention himself. He collapsed inwards, barely making eye contact with anyone, staying silent when the teacher's questions so he wouldn't flaunt his intelligence. He hid in the library between classes and lunch.

But his peers somehow still sensed his intense vulnerability and picked on him accordingly. Joey still had it out for him. How was Hortense supposed to tell him mom that? He knew she blamed herself for initially not noticing he was being bullied and now she would think she had failed again.

So he kept silent and continued eating.

"Hortense, I know you are lying," Mrs. Mitchell said in a stern tone, knowing it was the only way she would get information out of her son.

"Now tell me what happened to make you this hungry or frankly this upset." she finished standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

Hortense swallowed the last of his cookie and sighed. His mom was not going to back down. And she always seemed to know when he was lying.

"It's no big deal. Some kid accidently tripped me at lunch and my food went everywhere. I think I just got a little banged up from the fall."

Hortense sped through his words, hoping it was close enough to the truth that his mom wouldn't get suspicious.

Somehow, she sensed the lie of omission. She was, of course, a mother.

"Hortense, I know you better than that. You wouldn't be this upset if it was an accident."

And with those words of truth, the façade of bravery Hortense had been trying to put up came crashing down. He looked down at his lap, fiddling with his hands as tears started cascading down his cheeks.

Mrs. Mitchell had her son in her arms within a second, petting his hair as he sobbed.

"O baby. Are you being bullied again?"

Hortense nodded, hiccupping slightly and talking between his sobs.

"T-that kid y-you got suspended, Joey, h-hates me. H-He always picks on me. He tripped me today. The o-other kids also b-bully me and the teachers can't c-catch all of it. They make f-fun of everything about me especially m-my n-name. I'm such a dork; n-no one likes me and n-never will. A-And it's getting so bad.

Mrs. Mitchell released the hug only to grasp her son by his shoulders.

"Hortense you listen to me," she said, trying not to get distressed at the defeated look on her son's face. "You are not a dork. You are very smart and your classmates are jealous or don't get it or are trying to follow the herd to be cool."

"And your name is nothing to laugh at. It's a beautiful name."

"For a girl." Hortense retorted with his typical sarcasm he inherited from his father. The tone appeared most often when Hortense was stressed or worried.

Mrs. Mitchell frowned and Hortense looked away, not wanting to get into another argument with his mother about how it wasn't that appealing of a name. First of all, it was a girl's name and second it was a very old name, not exactly something a kid his age would be proud of.

He found this out about a year ago when his parents had finally installed a computer for the genius to use in his room to quench his thirst for knowledge.

At first, Hortense had thought his parents; more specifically his mom because his dad once mentioned it was she who had ultimately decided on his name, had thought she was having a girl. Therefore, Joanna Mitchell had just stuck with the name she had picked out because she had been used to it, even if it was a weird name.

The explanation would be semi-normal, but as it turned out, Mrs. Mitchell knew she was having a boy. She had just decided on Hortense because apparently she had taken an elective in college on the Napoleonic Wards and loved it. Mrs. Mitchell didn't want to be original and name her son after Napoleon. So she went and named her only child after Hortense de Beauharnais, stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Hortense accepted the story from his mom. But although his name had history behind it, it did not mean he hated it any less.

It contributed to his lack of popularity in school and was something the tormentors loved to zero in on. If that was the price of being named after a "relative" of the famous Napoleon, Hortense didn't want any part of it.

And it wasn't like the name allowed for any appropriate nicknames he could go by.

Hortense's mom loved it though and his dad didn't like to see his wife unhappy, so despite Hortense's adamant begging, they wouldn't change it or let him go by his middle name Henry.

Hortense was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt his mother's thumb wiping tears off his cheeks.

"O Hortense. It's bad, isn't it?"

Hortense just nodded, taking deep breaths to get his crying under control. He didn't trust himself to speak just yet.

"Is there anyone at school who can help?"

Hortense started to say no but suddenly stopped, a brief memory of lunch coming back.

As he was dashing out of the cafeteria, eyes burning with tears, he had locked eyes with someone coming into the lunchroom. Hortense's vision was so blurry he couldn't make out who it was besides a guy, but he did manage to get a glimpse of emerald green eyes. They had held concern? Compassion? Protectiveness?

Hortense wasn't sure and he wasn't used to it. He felt drawn to the person until said boy reached out an arm, saying something Hortense couldn't hear past the pounding in his ears. Hortense knew from experience a classmate trying to grab him didn't end well for him so he had flinched violently and ran way, not noticing the confusion in the boy's eyes.

He swore he heard the mystery person call after him but he didn't stop to find out what the person had shouted.

Now that Hortense was recalling the moment, he was sure he had imagined it. Maybe he hadn't imagined the person, but he was sure he had made up the eyes actually showing positive feelings toward Hortense. It just didn't happen to him.

So he pushed back the memory and finally answered his mom, sure of his answer.

"No"

Mrs. Mitchell sighed, knowing something had to be done so Hortense wasn't miserable anymore. She decided maybe it was time to start thinking seriously about an option she discussed with her husband when they first discovered Hortense was being bullied.

"I'll talk to your dad when he gets off his shift at the hospital. Maybe we can start looking at another school."

Hortense nodded, knowing even though there weren't many options besides private school and home school in their small town in Minnesota, it might be the only way to turn things around.

"Ok Mom. I'm going for a nap."

As he descended up the stairs and away from him mom's sad gaze and obsessive cleaning of cookie crumbs, he couldn't help but think back to those green eyes.

Although it was crazy and he was sure his mind was making it up, Hortense couldn't help but briefly think perhaps meeting the boy would make things better for him. He might gain a friend who cared for him.

Hortense scoffed at his thoughts as soon as he reached his room. Who would want to be friends with a geek like him?

Especially one named Hortense?

**A/N: I hope this chapter is ok and there is limited mistakes. I'm going to try to keep updating every week but since I'm hunting for a job and an internship, I don't know if I'll be able to do so. But I will try my hardest. **


	3. Chapter 2: First Contact and Plans

The last couple of days had not been good for Kendall Knight in the slightest and he had yet to think of a plan of how to cheer up. He was confident he would think of something though. He always did.

But this was going to be tough one to break out of. His bad mood had started when his mother started nagging him two days ago about cleaning his room. Today, she just had to bring it up while she was driving him to school. Sure, he knew the sandwich under his bed was really starting to stink but it wasn't like his mom was having a party in his room. Kendall thought it was appropriate to tell her so.

It wasn't Kendall's brightest idea and the normally tolerant Mrs. Knight had given Kendall a stern scolding on "responsibility" and "being the man of the house" while Katie played with her Barbie in her car seat.

Kendal had felt a bit guilty after the lecture. He knew his mom had it rough since Kendall and Katie's father had walked out on them. Kendall was really supposed to be helping his mom since she worked full time and tried to raise two children.

The more he thought about it as he walked up the front steps to his school, the guiltier he felt about talking back. Mrs. Knight didn't ask Kendall to do _too _much just things like watch Katie when Mrs. Knight was busy around the house or help out with cleaning and yard work.

Kendall did try his best to do what he was told because he had realized he did not want to be like his dad. He didn't want to abandon his mom when she needed help.

By the time he had reached his first class, Kendall's guilt had somewhat faded as he resolved to be more helpful thus making his mom less stressed out. But his bad mood persisted as it always did when he thought of his father. So Kendall started looking around the room for Carlos and James, hoping one of them could distract him.

The blonde smiled when he saw a helmet clad boy and another boy combing his hair approach Kendall's desk. If anyone could pull him out of his mood, it was these two. They had been his two best friends since they had all started hockey together when they were five.

Carlos was an endless ball of energy always ready to do something fun and James was always ready to go along with any scheme when he wasn't checking himself out in his pocket mirror.

Kendall wondered what James and Carlos wanted to get up to today. He hoped it involved playing a prank on one of their teacher's or the principal. Those were Kendall's favourite. Pranks were the best way to break up the monotony of the school day for Kendall because it involved careful planning in order to not get caught. But if they did, it was usually pretty funny until the parents got called.

James sat down front of Kendall, eager to spend the free time before class talking because as soon as the bell rang, the teacher would separate the three boys.

"So I saw this really cute girl today in the hall."

Kendall rolled his eyes at James' statement and glanced up at Carlos who was bouncing on his feet with a disgusted look on his face. Kendall knew both him and his Hispanic best friend were getting a little sick of James' daily updates of the girls at their school. Kendall didn't know what had sparked Jams' revelation that girls did not in fact have cooties but he was just glad Carlos hadn't come to that conclusion yet. Kendall knew girls didn't have germs but he just wasn't sure he liked the opposite sex yet.

"James can we not talk about girls today!" Kendall groaned out. "It's only you wants to talk about that stuff."

"Ya it's gross." Carlos added.

"Alright, alright." James raised his hands up to keep the peace. "I'll stop talking for now but one day, you will want to look at girls like I do."

Kendall couldn't help but disagree with James in his head but didn't speak up. He really wanted to switch the subject and besides James had picked up his mirror and comb from the desk and had resumed fixing his hair. Kendall could see him moving his lips, mouthing words to his mirror, so he turned to Carlos.

"So want to so something fun today?"

Carlos face split into a big grin and he tapped the helmet on his head.

"Actually James and I already did!"

Kendall didn't smile at Carlos' energetic face. Instead, worry swelled in his stomach. James and Carlos doing something without Kendall never resulted in anything good and was often more dangerous then it could be when Kendall was around. It also usually landed the boys in more serious trouble. Pranks and other stuff went better with Kendall because he was a more careful planner.

But, Kendall thought, even with him as the leader, things didn't always go smoothly. What the trio really needed was a fourth member who was smart and could sense danger.

Kendall shook his head. That prospect wasn't happening anytime soon and right now he had more important things to worry about. Like what James and Carlos had been up to.

"What exactly did you do?" Kendall inquired.

Carlos' grin grew impossibly wider.

"We put whipping cream from my fridge all over the principal's desk and chair!"

"You did what?" Kendall exclaimed, his voice rising. He had to admit; it was a pretty funny prank when he imagined the principal trying to clean up the mess, probably yelling at his secretary with The Vein popping out of his forehead like usual.

However, he also knew his friends so his amusement at Mr. Garrett's supposed reaction was overshadowed by his knowledge of James and Carlos' lack of ability to clean up the evidence of a prank. Kendall took glance at Carlos and knew his instinct was correct.

"Carlos where's your backpack?"

Carlos glanced around, eyes widening.

"O no! I left it in Mr. Garrett's office!"

James stopped combing his hair.

"What are we going to do?" he asked worriedly.

Kendall's mind started whirling, thinking of ways they could distract the principal and retrieve Carlos' backpack, assuming Mr. Garrett hadn't noticed. He was just thinking of running to the class phone and calling in the principal to their classroom while the three of them snuck out when a red-faced Mr. Garrett wandered in. He approached the boys who couldn't help but notice he was carrying Carlos' backpack. It was easy to spot because it had Carlos' name all over it, written in a bright rainbow of different colours.

"Mr. Diamond, Mr. Garcia, Mr. Knight I know you had something to do with the state of my office and trust me when I say there will be serious consequences."

James and Carlos looked down in fear while Kendall's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"But Mr. Garrett…"

"No buts Mr. Knight. I found Carlos' backpack on my chair and you, Mr. Diamond, and Mr. Garcia always do your little pranks together.

Kendall wanted to protest that this time was an exception, he really did, but one look at James and Carlos' fear-filled eyes convinced him to keep his mouth shut. He wouldn't abandon his friends when they were in trouble but man did they owe him big time!

"I want all three of you in my office at lunch to discuss your punishment," Mr. Garrett said before he dropped Carlos' backpack on the ground and all but stormed out of the classroom.

Their teacher looking none too pleased herself separated the boys into their assigned seats.

Kendall sighed and tuned out the teacher who was starting her lesson. All he could think about was lunch and how his mom was not going to be pleased when she got that call….

Kendall walked moodily toward the cafeteria to meet James and Carlos. He had been the last one to be called into Mr. Garret's office and he hoped he had enough time to finish his lunch. Mr. Garret had gone on forever!

Of course, Kendall had probably aided in his rant by adding a few comments of his own but really! Kendall had got the point! He was in trouble so he had detention for a week and his mom would be called after school. Kendall wondered if he could rush home after the last bell and erase the principal's message in time.

He was working out a shortcut through the woods that lead to his house when his eyes caught movement just outside of the lunchroom he was approaching. A brunette boy was running out of the room as if he was being chased. There was a flash of curiousity inside of Kendall that changed to concern quickly when Kendall's eyes met the big, chocolate, intriguing eyes of the other boy.

There was so much fear and sadness written all over the boy's face and his eyes were cloudy with unshed tears. One slipped down his cheek and Kendall felt an instant pull to just help this mystery boy.

Kendall wanted to make the boy smile instead of what he was witnessing, so he reached out his hand to pull the boy over so they could talk about what was upsetting the brunette. But the minute he reached out his hand, the boy flinched violently and bolted off.

"Wait I'm just trying to help!" Kendall shouted but the boy didn't slow down or turn back.

Kendall sighed, a little saddened. He had obviously scared the brunette but he could feel determination building up inside of him. As he entered the lunchroom and spotted James and Carlos, it had grown stronger.

Kendall knew, even at his young age, that he was a fixer. He hated to see people he cared about with problems and while he couldn't fix his mom's problems, like her choice of men, he was usually great at helping James and Carlos because their problems were pretty easy to deal with.

James occasionally lost his comb and Carlos his helmet. Kendall with his great memory usually could recall were they left their treasured items. Occasionally, there were more serious issues, like when James' parents were fighting or his mom too controlling. Carlos usually got a little depressed when he noticed his mom being worried about his dad when he was on a difficult police assignment. Kendall was always there to let them talk or distract them by having fun.

So since, he had experience, Kendall was sure he could help this boy. Whatever was making him so jittery and fearful, whatever had caused him to cry, Kendall would fix it.

But there was one small problem. Kendall had no idea who the kid was. And he thought he knew everyone, while at least his or her name. Why did he not know this guy?

It was puzzling. Kendall decided to he needed Carlos and James' help. He finally reached their usual table in the crowded cafeteria and sat across from his two friends. Instead of diving into his lunch like he wanted, Kendall opened his mouth to consult James and Carlos. Or at least attempt to.

"So I ran into some guy today after I talked to Evil Garrett."

Carlos just continued to devour his tator tots and ketchup, smearing red all over his face but James actually looked up.

"O ya how did your meeting with the devil go?"

Kendall rolled his eyes. His friend had completely missed the point but Kendall decided to answer anyway.

"The usual. Detention and a call home."

James nodded.

"Same with me and Carlos."

Kendall nodded as well eager to get back to what he wanted to talk about.

"Anyways, about that guy I ran into while I was coming here…"

Carlos swallowed his enormous mouthful.

"What guy?"

James and Carlos had now turned to Kendall with their full attention, noting the solemn tone to his voice. It didn't show up often but when it did, they knew Kendall meant business.

Kendall continued, glad they were interested.

"There was this guy, brown hair, brown eyes, our grade I think. I'm not sure who he was, but he was running out of the cafeteria before I came in. He was crying. Something must have happened before I showed up," Kendall finished, knowing nine-year-old boys didn't cry unless something really upset them. "Did you two see anything?"

"No man. I was busy using my allowance to buy these tator-tots," Carlos said, turning his attention back to his tray.

"And I was talking to Monica! She totally like likes me, like a lot!" James said enthusiastically. "Ok you have to hear what she said…"

Kendall held his hand up. He most certainly did not want to hear what Monica said.

"James, James! Shouldn't we be more focused on someone crying?"

James nodded.

"Ok I'll tell you later! So did you try to ask him why he was crying?"

"Ya but he just ran away."

"While how did you ask him?" James questioned, knowing his friend could be a little forceful when he wanted answers.

Kendall turned with guilt and embarrassment.

"I tried to grab him," Kendall put his head in his hands and groaned. "I just wanted him to stay put so I could talk to him. I probably scared him more!"

"I bet," James replied. "Well, we still have to figure this mystery out."

He glanced around the cafeteria.

"I bet someone here saw what went on."

James spotted a boy he knew from their hockey team a few tables over and called out to him.

"Hey Greg!"

Kendall groaned.

"No don't call Greg over!"

Kendall didn't like Greg. Even though he was on the hockey team with James, Carlos, and Kendall and was a good scorer, Kendall thought Greg was really rude. He was always picking on other team members and kids at school. Plus he never passed the puck when other teammates were open. And Kendall often called him out on it.

"Why not? He might have seen something," James said wisely.

"Or did something," Kendall grumbled.

"O c'mon Kendall! Greg isn't all bad. He's a good hockey player and he's had girlfriends!" James said, knowing this made a person cool.

"It's not going to help," Kendall fought back.

"Ya cause frightening that boy worked so well."

Before Kendall could retaliate, Greg reached their table.

"Hey James," Greg said, pointedly glaring at Kendall who glared back and ignoring Carlos who was still chomping away. Kendall could tell the seemingly oblivious boy was listening though.

"Hey Greg, How's it going?"

"Good. Hey I saw you talking to Monica. She's…"

Kendall cleared his throat loudly to get Greg's attention and stop the conversation.

"Listen Greg, we just wanted to know if anything interesting happened in the cafeteria earlier.'

"Like did a kid get hurt or something?" Carlos added.

Greg grinned, his dislike for the other two boys replaced by his excitement.

"O ya! You totally missed it! Joey pushed over this dweeb and spilled his lunch everywhere. He even got a kick in before the crybaby took off. It was a good thing though because a lunch monitor was coming and Joey would have been in it."

Kendall breathed harshly, instinctively knowing this was the kid he ran into. James and Carlos looked shocked but Kendall was just focusing his energy on keeping himself from punching Greg for not helping the boy or finding Joey and punching him for hurting the kid.

Carlos was the first to speak.

"Do you know who it was?"

"I just told you dummy! It was Joey." Greg said in a mean tone.

"No the boy he hurt," Kendall said through gritted teeth, catching Carlos' wounded expression. He just wanted this conversation over with and Greg to go away.

"I don't know. Who cares? Some loser obviously. One of those kids who gets A's all the time. "

"Bye Greg," Kendall spat out. He faintly heard James giving a nicer farewell to Greg who stormed off but Kendall was busing racking his brains, going over all his classmates, trying to figure out if he had seen the boy in his classes and what his name was. It was no use. There were a number of kids who tried hard in class but Kendall wasn't one of them. Although he tried to be nice to everyone, he just didn't associate with those people very much.

But as a man of action, Kendall was going to change that. He now knew the boy was sad because he was bullied. He could fix it by becoming friends with the boy and protecting him from jerks. Kendall was ecstatic because now all he needed was a super awesome plan.

He snapped out of his thoughts to find James and Carlos looking at him expectantly.

"What are we going to do?" Carlos asked, brown eyes wide, looking to Kendall for answers.

Kendall's eyes got a spark in them, like they always did when he was hatching a plan. The only thing was he needed a while to formulate it because he wasn't a genius. But he knew it would be amazing.

"Let me think about it and I'll tell you guys tomorrow."

James and Carlos agreed and Kendall spent the rest of the afternoon thinking of a plan. By the time his mom had finished her lecture on his prank and grounded him for a week (Kendall had been too distracted to tell his mom he really wasn't involved) Kendall had sorted out of his thoughts.

Kendall, along with James and Carlos, would find the kid, as he had to be in one of the three boys classes. They would then invite him to sit with them at lunch and talk to find out more about him. But the best part of the plan was Kendall had decided they would all go to the local ice rink after school. They would play some two on two hockey because that's what boys in Minnesota did. Hockey was relaxing and fun and Kendall knew it could cement a friendship.

He felt immensely more cheerful as he headed to bed. Kendall proceeded to fall asleep, dreaming of making a brunette boy smile.

**A/N: What a wait for all my faithful readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one is in progress and hopefully I'll squeeze in time between work, job hunting and my internship. **

**As a heads up, there will probably only be a couple more Minnesota chapters before I move the story to Hollywood. I hope this isn't moving too slowly. And I can't wait for Big Time Break Up especially the surprise ending (even though I think I can guess how it will end) because I want to bring it in to my story somehow! I've been waiting for the episode to inspire me for a while so ZOMGz! I'm stoked for the end of the month and the direction this story will take. I can only hope it doesn't end up similar to other stories I'm sure will pop up. **


	4. Chapter 3: Meeting

_Like to start off this chapter by thanking my muse Love and Peace Forever. Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

Kendall dashed into his school's front entrance, excited to get his plan started. Step one was to find the boy and as soon as Kendall had woken up that morning, he had jumped right into that task.

Surprising his mother, Kendall had rushed to get ready, dressing quickly by pulling clothes off of his floor, throwing a handful of fruity loops in his mouth along with a swig of milk, half of which ended up on the floor, and finishing by stuffing his papers into his backpack.

He was pretty sure his hurricane of destruction was not really a good way to be helping out his mom but he just didn't care right now. The moment he had woken up, his determination was fiercer than ever. Kendall really wanted to find the boy before lunch. That was all he could focus on. Kendall would clean up later in the evening, after the other kid was his friend.

At least he hadn't received a scolding. Mrs. Knight had been so shocked at Kendall actually moving after he had just woken up. Normally Kendall, who like his mom was not a morning person, woke up with only minutes to spare. So seeing him rush around in frenzy so early was unusual. All she could do was stare open mouthed as Kendall bounced out of the door, saying he'd walk to school because he felt like being early. Mrs. Knight could usually only get Kendall there right before the bell. Getting Katie ready for daycare always cut things close, so well she was perplexed, Mrs. Knight was also thankful for the extra time

Kendall's premature arrival was a genius idea. It allowed him to search the halls and the classrooms for any early arrivals. The boy could be one of those few kids whose parents worked early and so dropped their kids off before they went to their jobs.

Unfortunately, his search yielded no result. There were a couple kids studying and the rest were playing dodge ball in the gym. Kendall recognized a few faces, but not the one he was looking for.

So declining the offer to play dodge ball, Kendall trudged back to the front entrance. There he spotted more kids slowly filing in to the school and his spirits were renewed. He should be able to catch the boy when he arrived.

However, because he was usually one of the latecomers, Kendall did not realize how many kids could really crowd into the front foyer. After being pushed over by other students trying to get to their lockers while he craned his neck to look out at the front doors, Kendall gave up, pouting as he went to class. The pout grew in intensity when Kendall thought about the other doors leading in to the school that he had forgotten about.

On the bright side, Kendall could sit down for a quick nap. Waking up so early was making him sluggish. And when James and Carlos got there, he would talk to them about his plan and get their help.

It soon appeared he would not need their help. As Kendall started to lay his head down on his desk, the boy he had spent all of yesterday and the morning thinking about walked slowly into the classroom.

Kendall's head shot up. Excitement bubbling up inside of him, he watched the boy glance around the classroom fearfully before clutching his books to his stomach and hurrying to his seat at the front of the room.

The boy's desk position definitely helped explain why Kendall wasn't aware of who the kid was. The kids who sat near the front sat there by choice unless the teacher put them there to stay out of trouble. They were there to hear the teacher, see the board easily to take notes, and be readily available to answer the teacher's questions.

The first-period teacher, Mrs. Jones, liked when some of her students actually paid attention so she allowed them to sit where they pleased. In fact, most of her class was great. It was just Kendall, Carlos and James who had assigned seats because for obvious reasons they needed to be separated.

Kendall never paid attention to those kids because one school was boring enough without having to listen to them talk passionately about a subject, and two having James and Carlos in his first class was too good an oppourtunity to pass up.

Even though he was not sitting near his best friends, Kendall still liked to have fun. He passed notes, had staring contests, and always laughed at Carlos' stilly faces. Why should he pay attention to the kids at the front? They would help him understand the boring part of school. Who wanted to do that?

But he would give up his lack of interest to try to understand the boy. Kendall knew now was the perfect oppourtunity to get up from the back of the room and go talk to him but for some reason he was hit with a sudden wave of nervousness. His heart started beating rapidly and his palms were getting sweaty. This was so out of character for Kendall. Usually when he thought of something, he would go for it in an instant, completely confident and bold. Kendall Knight did not hesitate.

For some reason, he was now. Kendall couldn't understand these feelings, so he used a technique he had picked up in hockey when he was faced with an obstacle. Just barrel through it. That was exactly what Kendall intended to do.

Standing on shaky legs, Kendall rose from his desk and made his way slowly to the front of the classroom. When he was about five feet away from the other guy's desk, an energetic Carlos bumped directly into him, stopping his movement.

"Hey Kendall!" Did you figure out the plan?" Carlos stated loudly.

Kendall ignored Carlos and peered around his energetic friend to see the boy glance up from the thick book he was reading and look over at the loud exchange curiously, Carlos still muttering on about his morning.

Kendall caught his eye and grinned, pleased he had peaked the boy's interest. The boy looked as nervous as Kendall had felt moments earlier but held his gaze. Kendall wasn't sure why he felt so drawn to the boy at that moment but it was thrilling.

The gaze broke though as Carlos, noticing Kendall wasn't paying attention to him, finally stopped talking and turned around to see what Kendall was so focused on. The boy immediately turned red at both Carlos and Kendall staring at him. He dropped his eyes back to his desk.

Kendall frowned and Carlos opened his mouth, looking for answers.

"Who's this…"Carlos started to ask loudly before a voice cut him off.

"Carlos and Kendall! What are you two doing talking? You should be in your seats. The last bell rang five minutes ago. "

Both Kendall and Carlos mumbled quick apologies to their teacher and scurried off, not wanting to risk getting more detention As Carlos waved to James who was already in his seat, Kendall glanced back to see the boy hadn't looked up but was instead fishing around for a notebook in his backpack. Kendall wondered if he could get away with passing him a note…

Mrs. Jones cleared her throat behind him and Kendall broke out of his thoughts to scurry to his desk.

"All right class," Mrs. Jones started once her most troublesome kid had finally reached his seat. She frowned when he started noisily digging around for paper but decided just to continue with what she was saying.

"Today we are going to be picking partners for the science project I'm assigning. Your partner and you will pick an animal you like and will write a report plus make a poster on the animal you select. I will write the full description of the assignment on the board"

The class groaned then immediately started chattering among themselves to pick their partners. Carlos all but jumped on James lap to claim him as a partner and Kendall, pushing away another bout of nervousness, stood up to make his way to the front.

"Alright, everyone, calm down. Kendall, take your seat. I've decided for this project we are going to pick partners a little differently in order to branch out from our comfort zones."

Mrs. Jones picked up a baseball cap from her desk.

"Half of you will pick names from this hat. The name you choose will be your partner. Those who don't have a chance to pick this time will get first pick on the next project."

Grumbling was heard with Carlos and James whining loudest of all. Mrs. Jones made her way to the back of the classroom and stopped in front of Kendall's desk. Why he got the first pick, he would never understand.

"Go ahead Kendall."

Kendall put his hand in the hat and made a show of ruffling around the little papers before clamping his hand down on one and pulling it out. He read the name out loud, not recognizing it.

"Hortense Mitchell?"

Hortense's head automatically shot up and he turned to look at Kendall, eyes wide in fear and mouth gaping open.

Kendall grinned back softly attempting to get the other boy to calm down but inside he was jumping with joy. Who would have thought picking a name out of a hat would allow Kendall to truly meet this boy? At that moment, Kendall decided Hortense was his favourite name in the entire world!

He couldn't want to get started. It didn't matter that Hortense looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

Mrs. Jones wrote down the two boys names while nodding her head in approval. Hortense was a good student and could probably get Kendall to work, at least a little bit. It would be interesting to see Kendall Knight actually do a good job on an assignment and hand it in on time.

Looking up from her paper, she noticed Kendall launching himself toward Hortense's desk. Laughing inside at his enthusiasm, she set her face into a frown.

"Wait until everyone his partners, Kendall, then you can start your work." Mrs. Jones shook her head. She never thought she would ever say those words.

Kendall twitched in his seat while the rest of the class picked partners. Somehow James and Carlos ended up together, which could only end in disaster, but finally, finally, they were allowed to start brainstorming ideas for the rest of the period.

Kendall ran up to Hortense's desk, sheer glee adorning his face, making him forget about Hortense's hesitation.

"Hi Hortense, I'm Kendall!" Kendall practically screamed at Hortense, extending his hand.

Kendall watched as Hortense gulped and eyed Kendall's hand warily. The grin never left Kendall's face but a million questions running through his mind, not one of them about the project. He wanted to know why Hortense seemed so frightened of everyone including Kendall? Was what happened in the cafeteria every day a regular occurrence? Kendall was guessing it was by the way Hortense was acting now. Speaking of which, why did he get the name Hortense? Why…

"I know who you are. I'm Hortense Mitchell," Hortense said shyly, grasping Kendall's hand lightly and offered a small smile.

It seemed while Kendall was thinking, Hortense was doing the same and had decided to trust Kendall enough to talk to him. Kendall didn't know what sparked the change but he was grateful. Hortense had made the best decision because Kendall wouldn't start bullying Hortense.

"Nice to meet you Hortense."

Hortense smirked a little at Kendall's over-confident tone.

"Nice to meet you too. Now what animal were you thinking about researching? Because I wanted to read up on…"

Kendall jumped into the empty desk behind Hortense, intensely listening, not at all surprised at his rambling. He already knew from where Hortense sat in the class that he was smart and his talking just showed he was really smart.

Although some students would have found Hortense's tirade geeky, Kendall found it endearing. He was discovering he was actually interested when Hortense talked about school stuff. He could tell Hortense was a genius. Kendall knew being friends with him be ultimately cool because Hortense could help with the thinking behind Kendall's amazing plans. Kendall just knew he would be the perfect voice of reason for his little group of friends. Plus, this smart side seemed to make Hortense less shy, an added bonus.

"Does the koala sound ok?"

Kendall nodded.

"Totally, but isn't it a koala bear?"

Hortense shook his head.

"No, English-speaking settlers in Australia only called it a bear because it was similar in appearance to bears they had seen. The name's taxonomically incorrect."

Kendall's mouth fell open and he looked confused.

Hortense blushed, looking ready to bolt again; probably afraid he had scared Kendall by being a know-it-all.

Kendall pulled himself out of his bewilderment.

"How do you know all that?"

Hortense shrugged, still embarrassed.

"I read a lot. I don't really have friends to hang out with in my spare time."

Kendall frowned at that, noticing Hortense had said that statement in a meek tone.

"Well now you have me! We can hang out all the time! I think it's really cool how you can talk like a grown-up!" Kendall, exclaimed, making a compliment out of what would usually be considered an insult

Hortense grinned a little wider, white teeth showing.

"Really?"

"Ya. I mean in the last ten minutes I've already learnt so much. We're going to have so much fun being friends and working on this project!"

"Friends?"

"Yes!"

"You don't really know me yet," said Logan. "What if you discover I'm a loser and then don't really want to be my friend."

"You are not a loser. I have a sense about people," said Kendall, hating that Logan was putting himself down. "I want to be your friend and you want to be mine too!"

A full-blown crooked grin finally appeared, making Kendall want to explode with happiness.

"I do. I'm glad you're my friend Kendall."

"I'm really glad you're my friend Hortense!"

"Hortense! What a weird name!"

Kendall's head snapped back at the familiar voice.

Sure enough, James was standing behind him with a stupid grin on his face. Carlos was looked ready to burst into laughter at any moment. Little giggles were already escaping as the Latino thought of living with the name Hortense.

Eyes narrowed, Kendall clenched his hands into fists. He had never been angrier with his two friends. He knew they were only poking fun and if it had been Kendall they were teasing; it wouldn't have been a big deal. When they made fun of Kendall's eyebrows, Kendall was always ready with a snappy comeback. But Kendall could tell Hortense was sensitive and besides he wasn't really part of the group yet. He had to be broken into the trio's odd sense of humour and wrestling rituals.

Kendall's instinctive protectiveness toward Hortense was overshadowing his rational side. If he would have been thinking clearly, he would have figured out Carlos and James didn't really know Hortense and therefore couldn't possibly recognize they were hurting the poor boy.

Their laughter soon ceased when the two boys as they noticed Kendall's face was absolutely scarlet with anger and Hortense had paled. They realized they had something wrong.

Carlos stepped back a little, sure he and his bestest buddy were going to die when Kendall pounced on them. James was trying to figure out how to protect his face, but all that didn't matter to Kendall as Hortense knocked over a chair, running to Mrs. Jones to tap her on the shoulder.

"Mrs. Jones, I don't feel so great. May I go to the washroom?"

He did look very pale and was shaking, so Mrs. Jones let him go.

"Did you see what you two idiots just did?" Kendall hissed.

"What? It was just a little teasing," James replied.

"It shouldn't have made him run off. Who does that at one joke?" Carlos said, genuinely curious.

"A little teasing? Hortense probably gets called names. I mean, look what happened in the cafeteria yesterday and today he practically died of nerves when I first started talking to him. And now you two scared him off before I could invite him to lunch or anything! And you should know better. James you get teased because of your height and because you obsess about your looks and Carlos, sometimes people pick on you because of your heritage and because you wear your helmet!"

Kendall knew he was rambling and his voice was cracking. He would _not _cry like a baby but he was so upset that James and Carlos had maybe ruined his chances at having a new, special best friend.

The other two didn't know what to say. They had never seen Kendall like this, not even when Carlos had hidden his favourite hockey stick.

"So that's the guy from the cafeteria?" Carlos said, afraid of Kendall getting angrier at his ignorance but wanting to know.

"Yes."

"O man. Sorry Kendall. I didn't know it was him and Carlos didn't either. And I was just having fun. I didn't think a little teasing would hurt him.

"Well it did and now he probably thinks you two are meanies just like the bullies and he probably thinks I am too because I hang out with you," Kendall said.

Regretting his tone as soon as Carlos and James' faces morphed into hurt expressions, Kendall sighed and relaxed. He didn't like upsetting his friends, even if they deserved it. Besides, he still hadn't fully explained the plan.

"We can fix this. Let's go find him in the hall and invite him to play hockey after school.

"Good idea," James said. "Let's go now so we can catch him before next period."

The three boys waited until Mrs. Jones was turned away from the door then darted out of the class. No one felt bad about skipping out early because the bell was going to ring in ten minutes anyway.

"All right, let's check the bathroom. Hortense said he was going there," Kendall said, enthusiasm returning as he rushed off to find his new friend, his other friends following closely behind.

But as soon as they reached the hallway where the bathroom was, it was clear that Kendall's plan would have to be revised.

**A/N: ****There will be two more Minnesota chapters I've finally decided (it originally was just going to be one), and then I'm placing the story after Big Time Break Up while explaining details of the last season and a half. It will probably not include much of the episodes coming up; maybe a few details, but it won't strictly follow the show. But that's what fanfiction is for, to create your own universe. I'm so excited for what's to come!**


	5. Chapter 4: I'll Protect You

_**Hello readers. Sorry it's been such a long time since my last update. Life got busy. I won't bore you with the details unless you really want to hear them, in which case message me and let me know. **_

**__So if you're still with me, which I'm hoping most of you are, here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think. __**

Hortense couldn't believe he was such an idiot. Only an idiot would find himself in the situation Hortense was currently in.

He just had not been thinking properly after Kendall's two friends had made fun of him His mind had gone into lockdown mode like it usually did when people picked on him. His brain would tell him to exit the situation as fast as he could. So Hortense did.

Upon reaching the bathroom and allowing himself to take a few calming breaths, Hortense had finally relaxed. But the feeling of relief soon disappeared and an overwhelming sadness took over, causing Hortense to grip the sink in a desperate attempt to keep his tears at bay. Hortense didn't dare look in the mirror because he knew he would see hurt, hurt like he had never felt before.

Hortense was used to the bullying, he had been dealing with name calling since pre-kindergarten that had later morphed into threats and pain. No one had ever showed him true kindness except parents and teachers and although it stung, he had come to accept it was just the way things were.

But today had changed things. Kendall Knight had approached him in class, which for Hortense was a miracle. He knew who Kendall was, everyone did. Kendall was one of the most popular boys at school because he played hockey and he secretly fascinated Hortense.

He knew it was a little weird but it's not like he had friends to notice and judge the way he would watch Kendall sometimes in the lunchroom when Kendall would be laughing and joking with his friends and the other players on the hockey team. No one cared when he gazed at Kendall in class, watching as the blonde-haired boy alternated between scrunching his eyebrows in concentration to goofing off with his buddies.

It wasn't just at school. Hortense also happened to live on the same street as Kendall. When he had just enough of reading and searching medical terminology on his computer, Hortense would stare out the window longingly, wishing he could join the beanie-clad boy in a game of street hockey but knowing he didn't have the courage to do so.

Hortense fantasized about Kendall coming up to his house and inviting him to play. But while Kendall always seemed nice when Hortense observed him, Hortense knew he was out of Kendall's radar.

That fact made today really confusing. As soon as he had seen Kendall approach his desk that morning, Hortense realized Kendall's green eyes were the eyes from the cafeteria. How Hortense had not realized that yesterday was beyond him especially since he had been watching Kendall since who knows when. But it wasn't bothering him because all Hortense could focus on was that as soon as he made eye contact with Kendall, his heart stopped beating, figuratively of course.

He would have mentioned butterflies as well but that was a girly emotion Hortense refused to acknowledge. He would leave that to his mom's romance novels. Instead Hortense chocked his emotions up to nervousness that was bubbling up inside of him as Kendall got closer and closer to his desk, only stopping when a helmet-clad boy blocked him and started a conversation.

Kendall kept eye contact with the brunette, which was great because Hortense wanted to stare into those eyes forever. While he was staring a little bit dreamily, Hortense noted Kendall seemed to be really interested in him because he was grinning at him and not in a teasing matter.

It was all so awesome and Hortense could even feel himself relax, the corners of his mouth begging to be turned up into a smile.

It was even harder not to smile as Kendall's friend (Carlos, Hortense remembered from roll call) rambled on excitedly to Kendall. Hortense swore he heard "corndogs" and "breakfast" in the same sentence but he was too focused on Kendall to be attentive. For Hortense at least, it seemed the two boys were communicating deeply with their eyes, at least until Carlos noticed something was up.

The way Carlos had spun around and caught Hortense in such an emotional act scared Hortense out of his wits and the fear of insults made him turn back to his books where he belonged.

Nothing really beat gazing into Kendall's eyes like he had been doing but Hortense figured tuning out everything to soak up knowledge would be for the best. Maybe Kendall and him could have a moment along after class?

Or maybe not, Hortense thought dejectedly as he fished around for his notebook. Kendall had probably approached him for pity. There was always a couple kids like Kendall each year who got wind of how Hortense was treated at school and tried to be nice and befriend him, only to back off weeks later when the pressure from their friends for hanging out with a loser became too much.

Carlos could be one of those friends, Hortense concluded or that sandy haired boy Kendall also hung out with frequently, the one everyone knew was very popular among the female population. So it was for the better to forget that moment never happened. Plus he was too much of a wimp to start a conversation with Kendall.

To forget about it completely, Hortense focused solely on Mrs. Jones, laughing a little as she reprimanded Kendall then groaning inwardly as she announced a group project.

No one ever wanted him for a partner and he was always stuck with himself or someone who was the odd one out, someone who would make Hortense do all the work.

So it didn't bother him that they were picking names out of a hat because Hortense didn't really have anyone he had wanted to pair up with. Well that wasn't exactly true. Hortense wished more than anything for Kendall to be his partner, but at the same time he really didn't want the blonde to get teased for being stuck with the nerd.

It would hurt Hortense to see the blonde picked on because of him and Hortense would do anything to not have that happen. That's why watching Kendall but not talking to him was depressing but ok. Kendall wouldn't get ridiculed if Hortense was not in the picture so for that reason he really hoped Kendall didn't pick his name.

Choosing names out of a hat couldn't be controlled and much to Hortense's dismay, soon enough Kendall was calling out his name in his endearing voice. Hortense found himself turning to look at Kendall fearfully. This could not be good for either of them!

Before he could do anything, like ask Mrs. Jones if he could work by himself, Kendall appeared right in front of his desk, hand outstretched, grinning like mad. Surprisingly things had gone on without a hitch. Kendall hadn't even been scared when Hortense rambled on like a nerd. It was all Hortense could do to not squeal with excitement when Kendall announced they were friends. It was all Hortense had ever wished for and everything was going great.

Until James and Carlos showed up. Hortense should have known his good luck wouldn't last. They started making fun of his name, which had hurt, but what had really killed him was Kendall's angry expression. Hortense thought Kendall must be angry with himself because his friends were teasing Hortense and would soon turn on him for befriending the loser.

Then not wanting his friends to think he was lame, Kendall would turn on him. Hortense just knew it would happen, he expected it, and he also knew he would be able to bear hearing Kendall say anything hurtful to him so he took off.

And now here he was, sniveling like a baby, so upset he had lost a chance at having a real friend. But he had to put that behind him now. Today just reinforced the belief Hortense had; he really needed to keep to himself. So he sighed, splashed water on his red face and turned to leave with his eyes cast downward in sadness.

He barely made it out of the bathroom when he had his back slammed into the wall in the hallway. Hortense groaned in pain before raising his eyes to look into the one he feared the most, Joey, who was flanked on both sides by two other students.

Hortense knew from hearing the other kids talk, Joey had a thing for skipping class. And it was just Hortense's luck that he had run into Joey, and two of his cronies he was too frightened to remember the name of, on the one day he had left class early for a significant amount of time. It was like a punishment for not sticking around until after the bell to talk to the teacher enthusiastically about the lesson.

"Well, well, well look what we have here, a nerd out of his natural habitat," Joey sneered.

Hortense started to shake, scared about what was going to happen to him. Ten minutes remained before first period ended and Hortense knew Joey could do so much damage in the short amount of time. And with two other people, it would be even worse.

Joey pushed Hortense, causing Hortense to slide down the wall a little. Then Joey punched the boy again, this time in the ribs, causing a crack to be heard and Joey to grin, along with the two people beside him.

"O that's just the beginning."

The three then proceeded to push Hortense in the face, stomach and shoulder before grabbing him and pushing him to the ground in preparation for some kicking.

Tears threatened to spill from Hortense's eyes. This was so unfair. He had done nothing to provoke Joey today. He hadn't walked past him, hadn't made eye contact with the bully, yet here Hortense was, absolutely stuck. There was no possibility of escape or fighting back, seeing as it was three against one and since everyone was in class, no chances of rescue either.

Hortense saw Joey raise his foot and he clenched his eyes shut and curled up a bit, waiting for the pain but none came.

His ears stopped pounding as his paralyzing fear started to wear off and he slowly opened his eyes, taking in the sights and sounds around him.

To his surprise, Hortense saw Joey and his sidekicks pinned up against the lockers by Kendall, James, and Carlos. Kendall was snarling at Joey, talking menacingly into his face and although it sort of pleased Hortense to see Joey scared for once, Kendall's tone was honestly really frightening so he stayed down cowering, listening to Kendall.

"Listen Joey, leave Hortense alone or the next time you hurt him, our meeting won't be so pleasant."

James and Carlos nodded in agreement while Kendall spoke again.

"Got it?"

"Yes," Joey whispered hesitantly, not believing he had met his match.

"And Greg," Kendall cocked his head to the right, speaking to the boy who was pinned down by a very happy looking Carlos. Kendall knew Carlos couldn't stand Greg so this was a perfect oppourtunity for Carlos get a little revenge for Greg's horrible attitude. "The coach will be learning about this 'extracurricular activity.' I doubt you will be playing in our upcoming game

Greg glared at Kendall but could do nothing, as Carlos' grip got tighter.

Kendall shoved Joey hard against the locker causing a whimper to escape from the normally tough bully. Kendall bit back a grin and instead narrowed his darkened eyes more when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Hortense trying but failing to get up, wincing in pain the whole itme. Kendall so desperately wanted to help him but he needed to take care of Joey first.

"Stay away from him," Kendall growled in a tone not suitable for a nine-year-old, unceremoniously letting Joey out of his grip to crumple to the ground. James and Carlos released their prisoners as well. "And get out of here."

Joey glared, picked himself up, and motioned at the other two to follow him. Just as he was almost out of the hallway, Joey turned around to spit out one last thing.

"You may have gotten your way this time Knight but you want always be around. You'll slip up or better yet realize Hortense is too much of a loser to be around and then you'll ditch him." Joey ran off laughing.

Kendall wanted to take off after him and teach him a lesson with his fists but Hortense needed him. He turned to where the boy was still down on the ground and James and Carlos were standing awkwardly to the side, not sure if Hortense would accept their help after the way the two had treated him.

Hortense tried once again to get up. This time was successful because a hand was suddenly in his face. He grabbed it and rose up shakily, meeting the gaze of the beautiful green eyes before him. Hortense felt himself getting more and more intrigued every minute he stared.

He couldn't believe Kendall had rescued him. Sure he had been nice in science class but Hortense knew that didn't automatically compel him to help Hortense. But he did appreciate it even if Kendall's actions didn't make sense. So he blushed and managed to whisper out a single phrase.

"Thank you."

Hortense wanted to bolt after that but two reasons stopped him. One he was in too much pain from the punches and two Kendall was making him feel safe, something he had never felt at school before. So while Hortense kept his eyes downcast, he stayed.

Plus Kendall's hand was still in his.

Meanwhile Kendall's anger had slowly faded only to be replaced by satisfaction that him, Carlos, and James had scared off Joey, Greg, and whoever the other jerk was but he was also a little gloomy that he hadn't arrived to help Hortense before he got hurt. Yet at the same time happiness flooded through Kendall, because like Hortense, being this close to the other was exciting in a way that compared to nothing else.

He knew he had to help Hortense take care of his injuries, but if Kendall took Hortense to the nurse, he wouldn't have any oppourtunity for the rest of the day to continue talking to the brunette. So Kendall decided on another option instead.

Hortense was starting to think he should let go of Kendall's hand, even though it was providing him with amazing warmth and helping him forget his pain. But Carlos and James were more than likely staring at them curiously.

Then Kendall tugged on his hand.

"C'mon. We're going to my house."

"Skipping?" James asked excitedly.

"Cool!" Carlos added in an even more enthusiastic tone.

Kendall nodded and walked forward, only to be stopped when he felt Hortense wasn't moving.

"I-I can't skip. That's bad and we will get in trouble, " Hortense said to Kendall, eyes blown wide open in shock.

"You can," Kendall said reassuringly. "You're hurt so you can't go to class."

It wasn't the best logic but Hortense wanted to hang out with Kendall so badly that he let himself be led out of the school and to Kendall's modest two-story house.

It was a pretty long walk, as Kendall hadn't really realized his house wasn't as close as it seemed in the car ride he took every morning. Hortense just kept a grip on Kendall's hand, avoiding looking at Kendall's two friends in case they were angry that Kendall was taking a boy he barely knew back to his house to hang out. Although Hortense didn't have experience going over to other people's houses, he knew it only happened when the people were really good friends.

"I need a drink," Carlos exclaimed as soon as they got inside, panting from his walk. As he bounded to the kitchen, Kendall led Hortense to the couch with James following slowly behind.

"You need anything?" Kendall asked once Hortense was seated. "A drink, ice, Tylenol though I don't know if I can get you any because my mom says I'm not allowed in the medicine cupboard…"

Hortense hunched over, shifting his body, trying to ease the pain in his rips.

"Just an ice pack. But make sure to wrap it in a towel because I can't apply it directly to the area."

"How do you know that?" Kendall asked, not really surprised as the kid was a genius but it would be cool to know where he got all the information he stored in his head.

"My dad teaches me first-aid and other stuff and I read medical sites sometimes too," Hortense said, his face heating up.

"I want to be a doctor like my dad," he finished, even quieter.

"Cool. Alright I'll be right back, just stay here with James." Kendall patted Hortense's shoulder comfortingly before leaving, sparing a glance at his tall, uncharacteristically silent friend. Kendall was a little confused as to why James was acting so standoffish. He knew James had this obsession with being popular because it would lead to being famous or something but he was such a conversational guy, because he wanted to prepare for future interviews, it usually never determined who he would talk to. Also James was genuinely nice to everyone he met, probably a result of hanging out with Carlos so much.

Hortense noticed the silence too and while it alarmed him, he still wanted to say something. Kendall was obviously going to great lengths to make Hortense feel welcome. But Hortense wanted to know, since James was Kendall's best friend, if Hortense being friends with Kendall would bother James. If so, Hortense could just leave.

"James right?"

"Ya," James replied, looking anywhere but at Hortense. Hortense almost started to cry! He knew it! He had known when James had teased him about his name. James hated him!

"I'm sorry," Hortense spilled out.

James finally looked at Hortense.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Hortense said again. "I know Kendall's your friend and I'm not trying to steal him from you or anything but I'm sorry. He shouldn't pay attention to me or make you stick up from me and it's ok if you hate me and."

"Stop!" James held up his hands to end Hortense's rambling. "I don't hate you at all. I'm just not looking at you because you'll start yelling at me because you hate me."

"Why would you think that?" Hortense asked confused.

"Because you should," James said simply, tears slowly filling his eyes. "I know Greg, one of those kids who was bullying you today. I should have known what he was like and stopped what he was doing. But I didn't cause I'm a horrible person and you're really hurt!"

Hortense was stunned. He had thought James didn't care but that wasn't it at all. James was just ashamed he hadn't helped Hortense sooner. Hortense was touched but frowned.

"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself place. You didn't beat me up. And I'm not hurt too badly."

James reluctantly agreed because he didn't want to press further. Hortense didn't seem angry with him and James would rather get to where they were friends instead of focusing on the past so he sat down beside Hortense, watching as Hortense's legs swing, as they didn't quite reach the floor. He still needed to clear something up though.

"Look I'm sorry for making fun of your name."

"Me too," Carlos piped up, appearing suddenly behind the couch, juice in his hand. James often wondered how Carlos was so klutzy but could still be so stealthy. However, right now, he was more concerned about why Carlos didn't bring him a juice.

"It's actually a cool name. It reminds me of that elephant Horton in that Dr. Seuss book James loves, the 'Horton Makes Friends With A Who' or whatever.

"It's _Horton Hears A Who _Carlos. You've read it with me a hundred times!" James butted in.

"You forced me too! You know I think _Green Eggs And Ham_ is way cooler. It's my mom's favourite book too.

Hortense smiled as he watched James and Carlos interact. They were so ridiculous it was funny although he was a little worried as James stood up and bent his knees, looking ready to pounce Carlos over the couch.

"Hey!" Kendall's voice cut through the air. "No wrestling! You might hurt Hortense."

Hortense smiled gratefully at Kendall when he approached Hortense with an ice pack, crouching down in front of him and placing it gently on Hortense's ribs. Hortense winced at the coldness but then met Kendall's concerned gaze.

"Hortense, does this happen often?" Kendall asked, James and Carlos listening intently.

"Not as serious but yes, either someone beats me up or calls me names," Hortense answered, knowing by instinct Kendall was referring to the bullying and also knowing Kendall would want the truth.

"Ok," Kendall said, a little shocked but determined to make it stop. "Ok while all four of us are going to stick together and we are going to make sure you never get hurt again. We are going to be your best friends. And I'll always protect you."

He then pulled Hortense in for a hug, Carlos and James joining in soon after. Hortense accepted the arms around him gratefully. He had never felt so loved and more ready to open up.

The four boys stayed close all afternoon, getting to know Hortense, what he liked (cats), what he hated (raspberry seeds in his smoothie) and what was left that he needed to learn in life (hockey). They talked and Carlos ate, only breaking apart when Mrs. Knight came home not pleased about getting a call regarding Kendall skipping school. After checking Hortense over, brushing off his apologies for getting Kendall in trouble, and calling all their parents, she smiled when she noticed Hortense and Kendall's closeness. Her son wasn't even that close with James and Carlos and he had known them for years.

Kendall and Hortense's affection toward each other was cute and she could tell Hortense's dad thought so too judging by his big smile when he watched Kendall and Hortense hugged goodbye.

Although Kendall took his grounding hard (mainly because he couldn't hang out with Hortense for a week), he knew getting into trouble had all been worth it. The years that followed really proved that statement. Hortense became a valuable asset to the hockey team, became more confident, formed an unbeatable bond with his new friends, and no longer had bullies bug him as much. (Joey eventually got kicked out of school for inappropriate behavior.)

Most importantly, according to Kendall, was Hortense learned how to be very close with his blonde friend. He became like a son to Mrs. Knight and a brother to Katie. He trusted Kendall with everything, his insecurities, his secrets, and his dreams. Kendall adored Hortense for letting him in and Hortense adored Kendall because Kendall was his guardian.

Both boys felt nothing could ever tear them apart.

**A/N: This is not end of the story! But I don't know about this chapter. It feels kind of rushed but long. Longer than my other chapters. I don't know if that's good or not.**

**There will be more character development in future chapters, Hortense's name change will be explained in greater detail, and the story will live up to its M rating soon plus have more action.**

**So review if you want and also let me know if you would like to see Jarlos in the story. Do you think it would add to the story and make it better or no? I'm also planning a Jarlos story right now that will be kind of dark so you will see the James/Carlos pairing from me either way. I hope all of you will like it when I do end up posting it. **

**And as always, a huge thanks to my muse Love And Peace Forever. She has inspired so much of my future plans for this story. Also thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are amazing for taking the time out of your day to comment on my story! **

**Keep On Rocking In The Free World**

_UnitedPen_


	6. Chapter 5: Remembering

**A/N: This was supposed to be up SO much earlier but we had a bad thunderstorm and the power went out. Now it's back up but the basement is flooded. Ah! Anyway enjoy the chapter. Please let me know what you think in reviews.**

_Present Time_

"You certainly were attached to me back then," Logan teased, using his palm to snap his laptop closed. Logan had remembered their first meeting fairly quickly and while Kendall had recounted every little detail including the exact shape of Logan's smile when he first talked to Kendall, Logan had turned back to his computer and successfully completed and proofread his essay. Kendall sure could talk.

"Me?" Kendall raised his voice indignantly, swiveling around on his barstool to point his finger at the boy beside him. "You just admitted that you used to watch me out of your bedroom window."

Logan face went a deep maroon. "I-I was a kid with zero social skills," he stuttered out, a nervous habit he had yet to get rid of completely. "You kind of fascinated me by how outgoing you were."

Kendall smirked. "I know. You were so cute because I intrigued you! It made me gravitate to you all the time," Kendall mumbled, well leaning over to peck Logan on the cheek. However, a simple brush of the lips against his creamy white skin made Kendall drool and he couldn't resist opening his mouth to start nibbling on his boyfriend's neck.

Craning back a bit to give Kendall's beautiful mouth access, Logan let out a groan. "Let's just admit we both were a little infatuated with each other. In fact, most of my memories that have stuck around from my childhood involve you in some form."

Kendall stopped his actions for a minute so his sharp green eyes could gaze into the chocolate brown ones of the boy he loved. The spark of love that was dancing around Kendall's orbs didn't fade but a sea of nervousness suddenly mixed through the irises.

"Good memories right?"

An intense look was shared between the two boys as Logan tried to convey his feelings to the boy sitting across from him.

"Kendall, of course they were good memories. They were great! You always treated me like I was special. You still do. I try to remember our childhood every day because it just shows how much you always cared for me, even when we weren't a couple," Logan said in one breath, reaching out his hand to grasp Kendall's tightly in reassurance.

The blonde man let out a sigh of relief. "Same with me. I always think about you growing up with me, but I wasn't always the best person to you Logan."

The air suddenly felt very stiff and hot to Logan as he tried to quell the fear bubbling in his stomach and the feeling of anxiety and dread that always appeared when he thought about that time. He gulped to try and calm his shaky voice.

"Kendall…"

"How do the mistakes I've made not even cross your mind?" Kendall asked, his voice rising in worry. "I mean, what about that time we didn't talk for three hours when we were 14?"

The muscles in Logan's body slowly loosened as his stress level plummeted. His heart rate slowed down in reprieve. Kendall wasn't talking about the incident. Logan didn't think he could possibly love Kendall more as he realized Kendall was unconsciously being watchful over his boyfriend by not bringing up anything that would really upset him.

Although it was easier for Logan to talk about the unpleasant incident, he didn't like to put himself in a slightly depressed stage by bringing it up when it wasn't relevant, especially when everything in his life was going so well.

So he let out a light sigh and gripped Kendall's hand in reassurance, happy Kendall hadn't noticed his slight change in demeanor, not realizing that Kendall squeezing his fists back and rubbing his hand up and down Logan's arm softly was actually a sign that Kendall was very aware of his slip up.

"You mean when you whined to James and made him miss playing in the snow with Carlos and also his hair appointment? I don't know which one was more important to him. He still complains that his hair was never as perfect after his first and only missed appointment."

Kendall halted his soothing mannerisms to pout a little.

"I don't know why James still talks about that. It didn't really hurt him at all! It was me who was freaking out!"

Logan's lips curled upward in a smile.

"I'm sorry I put you through that," he remarked teasingly. Kendall grinned back.

"O it wasn't too bad I guess. Maybe I over-reacted a little…"

_6 years previous_

The sun was slowly setting, making the snow-covered lawn glisten like a thousand jewels, enticing anyone who was stuck inside to come out and play in its powdery depths. Anyone with half a mind who had just gotten off school would love to be out sledding or building a snow fort. James was one of those people but instead of all that, he had to resign himself to staring out the window longingly while a certain blonde friend of his paced back and forth in the luxurious sitting room of the Diamond household.

"I can't believe he said he is not talking to me!" Kendall cried out in exasperation. James rolled his eyes, mentally marking this off as the fifth time Kendall had uttered that statement.

It was honestly more fun to count than to listen to Kendall drone on and on about how Hortense, well now Logan, had gotten offended by something Kendall had said and had stormed off.

It had all started about three weeks ago when James' mom had ordered the four boys to start calling Hortense, Logan. It was a big change for the four boys to adjust too.

James had immediately started calling Logan by his new name because he really could not say no to his mom. Bad things happened when James attempted to go against his mom's wishes. He had only ever tried, really tried, when he wanted to do something cool with his three best friends, mainly Carlos, but he had only ever succeeded in getting his mom angry. Brooke Diamond was a very passionate woman and when she got angry, James knew it was best to get out of the distance her voice could resonate to.

Carlos went along with Brooke Diamond's suggestion because he was just as scared of James' mom as James was. He had once hid in James' closet for three hours when he had spilt spaghetti sauce on James' white couch just as Mrs. Diamond was getting home. He was too scared to come out until his Papi called wondering where he was.

Plus the two of them could see just how happy this name switch was making their raven-haired friend. They didn't really understand why a name meant so much to Logan, besides a chance to not get called names behind his back, but whatever made him happy, the two were game.

Kendall, however, was a different story altogether.

He was having a really hard time trying to call Logan by his new name. Actually, the more James thought about it, the more he realized Kendall wasn't really trying at all.

At school, when he was yelling across the classroom at Logan to help him with a math problem, he used the name Hortense. When he was yelling at Logan across the ice at practice, he called Logan, Hortense. When he was talking to the other hockey players on the team about his latest strategy that he had made up as a captain, he referred to Logan as Hortense. Even when they were just hanging out as the four of them, Kendall still had the same problem. James was willing to bet Kendall even used the old name when Logan and him alone. And James could tell Kendall was pissing Logan off immensely.

Logan now cringed a little when Kendall used the old name and would slightly glare at the blonde boy; a facial expression James had never seen Logan direct at Kendall in the six years they had known the brunette. Logan's face started getting red and he would twitch, looking like he just wanted to yell at his closest friend. And lately, James noticed Logan was biting a lip whenever Kendall used his original name, like he was refraining from saying something he would regret.

The two had never had a fight before. It was actually kind of weird because every other pairing in their fabulous four fought. Logan and James fought occasionally when they tried one of their "business ventures" and whatever they tried to sell never turned out. James and Kendall often had it out when Kendall thought James was being too self absorbed and James thought Kendall was being too bossy. Carlos and Kendall almost never fought but sometimes Carlos was a little to naïve for Kendall. Kendall sometimes thought it was appropriate to say so. Carlos and Logan got into spats more frequently over ridiculous things like what ice cream flavour was the best or school subject (Carlos liked gym, Logan loved math) and those ended with Kendall breaking up their "cat fights" as James liked to call them.

As for James and Carlos, they liked to wrestle about stupid things like if Carlos went skateboarding without James or James decided to go shopping for hair product instead of playing video games with his pal. But they would literally make up minutes later. They were so close, so alike; they made their fights into a friendship routine between the two of them.

However, Kendall and Logan just never fought. Never. If they had been in a relationship, which James had concluded long ago when watching older teenage couples, they practically were, they were the perfect pair. They were just so in sync and they did almost everything together, from sports to homework to babysitting Katie. There were more than a few times that James had felt left out when the two spent a weekend together at Kendall or Logan's house and didn't invite him. Of course, those were also the weekends Carlos would go camping with his dad.

There was a first time for everything though. James was just surprised they had not fought before. Sure they were close but Kendall could be an ignorant idiot sometimes, as James put it. Logan was just too tolerant for his own good. He would put up with Kendall begging him for homework help at the last minute. He didn't complain when Kendall would whine and plead for Logan to help him practice his techniques on the rink.

The line was drawn at the subject of Logan's name, James concluded, which was very apparent today.

James and Logan were just getting out of History class, one of the few classes Logan had that wasn't advanced because the option was not offered, when they ran into Kendall in the hall. A pen was in his hand as he scribbled something down on a paper pinned on their "Everyone Loves Science" bulletin board.

Logan had practically dashed to Kendall, his annoyance in him the last couple of weeks fading to a feeling of adoration. James lagged further behind as he knew what Kendall was doing and he didn't want to split up the sickening moment of thanks that would occur between the two of them. Did they have to stare into each other's eyes for so long every time?

Whenever there was a science fair announced, Kendall would take the liberty of writing down Logan's name on the list of participants because he knew how much Logan adored the contests. The fairs were the one place where Logan felt at home, where he could truly let his genius side show and not risk being teased for his brains. Everyone else who participated was just as smart as him, although Kendall would argue his friend was the best. It could be true as Logan had been the champion ever since Kendall volunteered him for the fair back in middle school. At the time, Hortense had been too shy and scared to put himself out there so Kendall just walked right up and wrote the name Hortense right down on the paper when the teacher asked who would like to sign up. The tradition continued year after year and Kendall had never missed traveling to a science fair Logan was in.

So James was going to let them celebrate until he noticed Logan had stopped short in front of the board, staring at the paper with a blank expression on his face while Kendall stood beside him, pen still poised in his hand with an confused look decorating his features. James couldn't fight the feeling in his gut that something was terribly wrong. Usually Logan would wear his emotions on his face. Try as he might, the smaller boy had never perfected the art of masking his feelings like Kendall could.

Thundering footsteps echoed down the hallway as James quickly made his way to his friends, silently thankful that this was the end of the day and everyone else had practically left. Carlos was probably pacing excitedly on the front steps of the school as it was Friday and unofficially "corndog at the mall" day therefore James prayed whatever was going to happen between Kendall and Logan wouldn't take too long.

Halting to a stop, James watched as Logan slowly turned to look at Kendall, brown eyes wider than James had ever seen them. And Logan used that "deer in the headlights" look quite a bit.

"What did you write on here Kendall?"

Kendall's eyebrow went upward.

"What do you mean Hortense? I just wrote your name down like always."

Glancing at the paper, James' eyes also grew in size as he saw "Hortense" scribbled down in Kendall's messy scrawl. Groaning inwardly, he shot a quick glare at Kendall. James couldn't believe Kendall was acting like such a dumb idiot

James heard Logan suck in a breath and slowly started to back away, having a hunch about what was coming. Neither boy noticed James' attempt at departure. It didn't matter though as James soon halted his movements as he heard Logan start to yell louder than James had ever heard the boy yell before.

"Damn it Kendall, stop calling me Hortense! You know I changed my name!"

Kendall's green eyes widened a little at hearing such a loud sound come from _his _Hortense but then his stubborn personality shone through. The Knight's did not take getting yelled at easily and would not just sit passively by. They needed to defend themselves.

"Don't swear at me _Hortense. _I'm just calling you by your birth name, the name your parents gave you, the name you've been going with since you were born. I don't understand why you would be so stupid to just listen to one of James' mom dim-witted idea and change your name in an instant."

James let out a small "hey" in protest of the insult against his mom, though in the back of his mind he knew Kendall did have a point. Ballet lessons still were fresh in James' mind. However, he soon pushed that concern out of his thoughts as he saw Logan's eyes start to fill with tears. Kendall had gone too far when he called Logan stupid.

"Don't call me stupid! This is my decision and instead of being a good friend like James and Carlos and going along with what would make me happy, you insult and hurt me by continuing to call me something I don't like!" Logan screamed, even though he desperately wanted to just run away and go cry in a corner. Couldn't his best friend just be supportive?

"Insult you? Your name is who you are, Hortense. I'm just showing you what is right for you." Kendall finished in his smug way, a smirk crossing over his face. James knew immediately this was a bad move on Kendall's part.

"What is right for me? Kendall this is a good decision on my part. Even if you aren't happy with my name change, you could at least figure out why it matters to me and talk to me about it. But no, you just decide to be your stubborn self and refuse to do the right thing. Well you know what? I am not talking to you anymore until you call me Logan. Can you do that?" Logan asked certain this would be the deal breaker so he and his best friend could stop their first fight.

Kendall clenched his teeth well shaking his head at the same time.

"No I won't do that, Hortense," Kendall replied angrily.

With that, James watched wide-eyed as Logan's hands clenched into fists and he pushed past his two friends to storm down the hallway and out of the school. Anyone watching would have the impression that Logan was mad but James knew it was more than that as he had caught a glimpse of a few tears falling down his pale friends face. James knew he should have gone after him to comfort him and he would have if Kendall hadn't dragged James to James' house immediately after Logan had left. He had sent a quick text to Carlos, who by that time had gone home, to go check on Logan but had received a text back saying Mr. Mitchell had told the Latino Logan didn't want to see anyone. Logan also wasn't answering either Carlos' or James' messages asking if he was ok.

So now they had spent two hours at James' mansion, James suspected, because Kendall didn't want to face his mom. He would have to tell her why Logan wasn't over there after school as he _always_ was and would have gotten an earful from his mom about respecting other people's wishes. James wished Kendall had not anticipated Mrs. Knight lecture because right now Kendall did need common sense shoved at him.

The fact was reiterated in James' mind as Kendall walked away from James' position on the couch to get a drink of water from the kitchen, mumbling something about "Hortense" and "reason." James took the brief interlude to pull his cell phone out of his pocket, smiling slightly at Carlos' sad face text that was a reply to James' saying he couldn't go sledding. It was sent when Kendall had approached the first hour of complaining. James had thankfully refrained from murdering Kendall from making him lose out on his daily "Carlos" time.

Suddenly, James' shot up from the white couch in a panic as his phone alarm went off, alerting him that he had only fifteen minutes to make it to a hair appointment at a very expensive stylist who was a 30 minute bus ride away. Usually he would be on the bus right now, the alarm serving to add excitement to the appointment he cherished, but now it was just a startling reminder that he was very late Kendall had bored him into forgetfulness. The blonde would pay later but right now James just had to get him out of the house so James could call a taxi to take him to his appointment.

He raced into the kitchen, gripping Kendall's shirt, barely noticing as Kendall dropped the glass he had been filling up into the sink, and dragged his friend to the front door.

"You have to go now!" James stated, throwing Kendall's boots and coat from the closet toward where Kendall was standing.

"What? James we're not done talking!" Kendall sputtered, nevertheless donning his outer gear as James' glare intensified.

"No Kendall, _you _are done talking with me. Go talk to Logan now. I mean you obviously upset him so instead of acting like my parents when they used to fight and go complain to their friends, why don't you go figure out why he wants to be called Logan. And then you can tell him why you like the name Hortense," James rambled, wanting to add "just tell him you love him already" but he didn't want to open up that can of worms. Kendall needed to leave his house already.

Kendall nodded, knowing James was right. Plus he didn't have much of a choice as James used all of his strength to shove Kendall out the door while he furiously dialed the cab company on his phone.

* * *

><p>Kendall walked up Hortense, <em>Logan's <em>front steps hesitantly, going over and over his mind what he wanted to say to his friend but coming up blank. The problem was he loved the name Hortense; it always brought back memories of when he met the beautiful boy. He was just so afraid that Hortense becoming Logan would mean the brunette would change in some way. He definitely wouldn't be picked on as much, so he might get more confidence, become more popular and forget all about Kendall. Losing Logan was Kendall's greatest fear and as this incident proved, it definitely caused him to act irrationally at times.

But how could he explain that all to Logan without coming off as weak and insecure? Logan looked up to him, well at least until today, and Kendall wanted that to continue. He would do anything to see Logan constantly gaze up at him with adoration.

He raised his hand to lift the brass knocker when the wooden door swung open to reveal a frowning Mr. Mitchell.

"Kendall. I saw you walking up the driveway." Mr. Mitchell remarked, crossing his arms. Logan must have mentioned the fight, as he was very close with his parents. Kendall often wished he had a caring dad like Mr. Mitchell. Actually he just wished he had a dad who hadn't ditched his family. But that's not what he wanted to be thinking about.

"Ya, I uh, I came to apologize to Logan. I really, really didn't mean to hurt him, I just…" Kendall stopped wondering how he could explain this to Logan's dad.

"I just don't really like his new name I guess," he finished lamely, not really wanting to go into details.

Mr. Mitchell's features softened a bit.

"Come in Kendall," the older man said, motioning for Kendall to step into the house.

As Kendall was shrugging off his coat, Mr. Mitchell spoke again.

"Joanna doesn't like the name either."

Kendall looked up from unlacing his boots to stare at Logan's dad who was smiling that half frown half smile Logan always wore when he was amused, yet thinking carefully about something.

"What?"

"Yes," Mr. Mitchell continued. "She did insist on naming him Hortense after all even though I protested. But in the end I couldn't say no to her because the name made her so happy. I think that is the reason she is not protesting our son changing his name. She can see how joyful he is. She even picked up the papers to make it legal."

Kendall grinned at thinking about Mrs. Mitchell. She probably rushed to the official office as soon as Logan had said he wanted to change his name.

"And you?"

Mr. Mitchell grinned.

"Whatever makes Logan smile, as long as it's not dangerous, I'll go for it. I'll happily oblige because I love him so much. I think you are the same way, Kendall."

Kendall stared at the doctor curiously as Mr. Mitchell fixed a knowing look on him. Before Kendall could ponder on what the look meant, Mr. Mitchell waved for him to go on up to where Logan was holed up in his room.

"Go ahead," Mr. Mitchell said before disappearing, the smile still on his face as Kendall squeaked and ran up the stairs.

He lightly tapped his knuckles on Logan's door. There was no answer so Kendall decided to let himself in.

There he was faced with a heartbreaking site. Logan was lying on his bed, feet laying on his pillow while he twiddled his thumbs and stared up at the ceiling. It was a weird habit he had developed. He usually did this when he came home, upset with something that had happened with school, so Kendall knew the brunette was torn up right now. The tear streaks on his cheeks also gave it away.

"Logan…I'm so sorry," Kendall started, approaching the bed.

Logan went into an upright position, looking curiously at his friend.

"Why did you just call me Logan?"

Kendall sighed, feeling like a horrible ass.

"Because it's what you want. It's that simple Logan. I don't know why I didn't see how happy this name change makes you before but my eyes have been opened and although I don't understand why, I support the change."

Logan sat up more, smiling slightly.

"Kendall, I forgive you. It wasn't even that big of a deal, I just didn't like you calling me stupid."

"And I shouldn't have," Kendall replied. "You weren't. You were doing what was right for you. But I'm just curious, why the name change?"

Logan shrugged, putting a hand on Kendall's shoulder as Kendall sat down beside his friend.

"I don't know. I mean, no one will make fun of me anymore for my name and I just wanted something that would make me close to normal."

Kendall was perplexed. He always thought Logan was unique but that was just Kendall. Logan was as normal as a fourteen year old could be. "What?"

Logan sensed Kendall's confusion. "Ya, I mean I'm a nerd right and I stutter when I'm nervous. Those are just some things that make me stand out from everyone else at school. I'm not cool like you. "

Logan wanted to add "_Plus I think I have feelings for you, more than friendship, which would make me be even more different." _ However, Kendall did not need to know that at all. Logan had just made up with his friend and would not risk losing him over misplaced hormones, even though Logan subconsciously knew these thoughts weren't fading anytime soon.

Kendall stretched his arms so they wrapped around Logan. He wanted to give comfort to the self-conscious boy but the sudden rush of unexplainable feelings made Kendall move his body back in an instant. It was Logan's turn to be confused.

"Kendall?"

Kendall shook his head. What had that been? His heart rate had sped up and all he had wanted to do a second ago was kiss Logan to make his insecurities go away and make Kendall's burning passion in his belly explode. He had never had that happen before even though he had always felt protective and close to his smaller friend. It was too weird. Kendall didn't want to dwell on these sensations even though he was still feeling them despite not being in contact with Logan anymore

Nope, this would mean Kendall had gay tendencies toward his best friend, something that was not acceptable in any way, shape or form. He had to push it out of his mind and get back to the task on hand.

"Sorry weird head rush there."

Logan looked at Kendall skeptically but let him continue.

"Logan, you are really cool, I promise, no matter what name you have. You being so smart just make you exceptional but you are also one of the fastest players on the ice and a great friend, just to name a few things. You are awesome."

Logan full blown grin appeared.

"Thanks Kendall, but why did you have such a problem with the name?" Logan asked.

"I don't know, I just thought you would change along with your name? It's stupid, I know."

Chuckling, Logan shook his head, knowing how much the blonde hated the idea of his friends changing and leaving him. It was an abandonment issue he didn't usually display, but Logan had heard enough of Kendall's rants about how worried he was that Carlos was going to get seriously hurt or James would ditch all of them to travel to Hollywood (like that would ever happen) or even Logan going to college early to know how Kendall's brain operated.

"Not happening. I'll always have a bit of dorky Hortense inside of me, I promise."

It was Kendall's turn to laugh making Logan giggle along at the sound.

"Besides with the name Logan, you can make up some cool nicknames that you couldn't with Hortense."

"Like Logie!" Kendall exclaimed brightly.

"I was thinking more like Loges but ok let's go with that," Logan said rolling his eyes.

"Yep," Kendall grinned cheekily. "Logie is my new special nickname for you!"

"Only you Kendork," Logan shoved his friend's shoulder playfully. They continued to push each other in good fun, happy to be at peace with each other, hoping this would be their first and last fight.

Unfortunately, Kendall couldn't hope the same with his other friends as his cell phone rang noisily, which upon picking it up revealed a very pissed off James yelling at his friend for making him miss the most important haircut ever. Kendall was in for an earful.

_A/N: I am so sorry for the late update. Working 12 hours a ay for a week seriously wore me out. Anyway I'm moving in a week then school starts then I'm going across the country to visit family, so I don't know when I will have time to update. But I will try my hardest to make time. "Waiting For The Day I Feel Good" should be next or my story for the Disney Kogan challenge Love and Peace Forever created. Go check it out. It's a great idea. And while you are at it, check out her other stories. They inspire me so much!_

_Keep on Rocking in the Free World._


	7. Chapter 6: Hurt

_Three years later_

Logan eyed the thick poster board warily, sighing as he remembered a time when Kendall would not only sign him up for all the science fairs available in the area, he would also stay up late with "his Logie" to help cater to Logan's obsessive compulsive need to make everything perfect. But now Logan was stuck with finishing up everything alone before he had to head out tonight. All Kendall had promised was that he'd be there to watch him win tonight.

It was a time long gone if the silence around 2J was any indication. Katie was out helping Tyler, thankful to be back someone her own age after the long-winded world tour even if it had been a few months. Mrs. Knight was out grocery shopping. Carlos had a more exciting activity to pursue. Recently one of the Jennifer's had taken an interest in the hyper boy so Carlos was probably sitting on a beach chair by the trio, ready to impress his future girlfriend by doing anything they asked.

As for James, he had nonchalantly told Logan that he was going for a walk right after Carlos had dashed out the door that morning. It was a rare day off and it would make sense for James to enjoy a little bit of solitude, however if Logan knew James like he thought he did, then the genius would be money that James was hiding out with a tree hat by the pool, watching his best friend. Anyone passing by might think James just wanted the pretty trio for himself but Logan knew better.

And it was for precisely that reason Logan and pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to James to meet him in the apartment. If anyone could help him deal with the pain that was tearing up his heart, it would be James, even if that meant the muscular boy had to take a break from stalking. But Logan just needed someone to vent his feelings to, so he could be completely focused before the fair in a couple of hours.

The heartbreak that James needed to help solve stemmed from the third absent boy, Kendall Knight, Logan's personal knight in shining armour. The guy Logan yearned to kiss until he was breathless, to cuddle with as Logan glued pictures of scaly reptiles on the large model, to do a million couple things with. Logan would even settle for a hint of the old days where Kendall would help Logan count down the days until the science fair. But this year, Kendall just didn't seem that interested. Logan had been talking about it at the dinner table and with James and Carlos, if they were bored and were wondering what Logan was up to, but Kendall had never asked how everything was going.

Logan didn't want to go around begging for Kendall's attention but it just seemed like he wasn't around period. They didn't have Harry Potter marathons anymore, there were no late night talks, and Logan desperately missed it all. He just had no idea how to get Kendall back to noticing him. Not with how everything was going lately in Kendall's life.

Kendall had fallen into a relationship quite quickly with Lucy Stone. At first Logan had just thought it was a desperate attempt to get over his first love, Jo, (because no matter how upbeat Kendall acted, Logan knew Kendall was still _so _torn up about losing someone he had made himself vulnerable for) and the rebound would end fast.

Logan could not have been more wrong. Kendall may not be completely hung up on Lucy like he had been with Jo but he was definitely getting close to her that Logan just knew that it would probably develop into something very deep and Logan would end up losing Kendall all over again.

The blond would hang with the rocker constantly. They would have smoothie dates, read magazines near the pool, make out in the Palm Woods Park and generally cause Logan so much pain as he gazed at them through the window of his bedroom. He wanted to be the one Kendall bought the blue smoothie for while his best friend happily enjoyed his pink one. And maybe he couldn't play guitar like Lucy could but even he could still sing a long while Kendall practiced.

But Kendall didn't need Logan for all of that. Kendall had Lucy and really what could Logan do except deal with the heartache? As he lay in bed each night, trying to distract himself with future song lyrics and math equations, his mind would fall back on the new couple and how unbearably straight Kendall was. The brunette would end up dozing off to thinking of ways to get over Kendall, including moving to raise alpacas, but in the end his dreams were always filled with green eyes and perfect red lips leaning down to capture his. Maybe it was his subconscious mind telling him that although Logan could tell himself over and over that Kendall was straight, there was just something about the way they interacted before they moved to Los Angeles.

That's why he needed James right now. James might not be the brightest when it came to academics, a trait he and Carlos seemed to share (although Logan knew with all the pranks they planned, they really could do well if they just tried some more), but he just seemed to have this knowing look whenever Logan mentioned Kendall in his presence. Yes, James would know what to do.

With that eager thought, Logan's head immediately perked up from the table when the door swung open, a resounding thud echoing across the room as it collided with the wall. Logan's eyes widened as Kendall dashed into the apartment, stomach dropping as he realized it wasn't who he exactly needed right now but his heart rate picking up as it always did in Kendall's presence.

"Hey Logan!" Kendall rushed out in one breath as he dashed by the dining area to his room. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing much," Logan called back, smiling a little because it just felt so good to talk to Kendall. These days, conversations were limited to meal times and the recording studio, making Logan crave these moments more then he should. "Just getting my reptile project ready for the science fair!"

Instead of an answer, all Logan heard was rustling so he decided to push himself up from his chair and investigate. He was met with a haggard looking Kendall pulling plaid shirts out of the closet and tossing them on the floor.

"What's going on?" Logan asked as he stared at the mess before him he knew he'd have to clean up.

"O hey, I thought you were still in the kitchen," Kendall grinned at his friend. "I'm trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight."

Logan's heart stopped for a minute. Was Kendall really going to all this trouble just in case he won a ribbon? Sure, Logan liked to show off how smart he was but Kendall, James and Carlos really didn't need to go all out, including dressing up, even if it made him feel very warm inside. Just being there and cheering him on was really more than enough.

"Kendall, that's great, but I really don't think it's necessary," the genius said, trying to stop the grin that was threatening to spread across his face.

Kendall looked at Logan as if he was crazy. "Of course, it's necessary!"

This time, Logan really couldn't stop the grin, even if a tiny part of his head was telling him that this was just too good to be true. He happily moved forward into the room to help Kendall sort through his clothes, no longer bothered about the mess.

"Well what do you think you'd look best in?" Logan asked, hand stretching toward the tight black T-shirt he loved to stare at Kendall in.

Stopping his rummaging, Kendall looked to Logan in panicked excitement. "I don't know! I mean tonight's the night that Lucy is letting me meet her friends from back home and I want to make a good impression at dinner tonight. She grew up with these people and I just know they are going to be judging me."

This time when Logan's heart stopped, it didn't start thudding again with enthusiasm. Instead it seemed to wilt painfully until his chest was aching.

"What?"

"Yes!" Kendall continued, gripping Logan's shoulder in excitement. "This is a major step."

As he turned back to his wardrobe, Logan tried furiously to force words out of his mouth. Something along the lines of 'how could you forget something so important to me' or 'I'm really hurt,' but instead of all that, Logan swallowed back the sobs threatening to come forward and instead chocked out "I'm really happy for you," before dashing out of the room.

He had just gotten his breathing under control as he collapsed on the orange couch before he heard footsteps coming into the room behind him.

"What was that?" Kendall spit out, completely distracting Logan with his bare torso, green shirt in hand. "I thought you were going to help me but instead you run out here after using your upset voice."

Rolling his eyes, Logan refused to make eye contact with Kendall. But the blond boy kept going.

"I know what's going on," he stated smugly as he stared at his friend on the couch.

Scoffing, Logan finally turned to his friend. "O really?"

"Yep," Kendall said triumphantly. "You don't like Lucy."

"That's ridiculous!" said Logan. "I've hung out with her before. Remember when we worked together to try to figure out what secret you and Camille were hiding."

And it was the truth. Logan did like Lucy. She was a nice girl and was not afraid to speak her mind. It wouldn't be fair for Logan to hate her just because she had something Logan so desperately wanted.

"Ok, that's true," Kendall sighed reluctantly. "Then explain to me why you are so upset or why you seem to make yourself scarce whenever we're around, just like you did with Jo."

Dang it, Logan didn't realize Kendall could be so observant. But the bitterness was starting to rise up in him. Kendall had promised that he would come out to the local high school that night and if he was going to back out on something he had always been gone to before, then Logan didn't want to stick around. Maybe he was bitter, maybe he was upset things were changing, maybe he was overreacting or maybe this unrequited love was really starting to eat him up inside, but he just needed to get out.

"Well if you are _so_ attentive, maybe you can figure it out!" Logan yelled. With that, he propelled himself off of the cushions and took off toward the door. He had just wanted his secret love there, was that really too much to ask?

Leaving a gaping Kendall behind, Logan ran right into a soaking wet James in the hallway.

"What happened to you!" Logan asked, not noticing that the tears that had been building up inside of him since Kendall had revealed he had forgotten about Logan's very important night.

"O Carlos pushed me in the pool for telling an embarrassing story about him to Jennifer," James said, rolling his eyes. "But it was actually a cute story! I don't get why...are you crying."

Logan brought his hand up to his face, his fingers coming in contact with his salty tears. "I guess so."

"What happened?" Now it was James' turn to ask, all thoughts of running to go get a quick hot shower forgotten. "Is this about you texting me earlier. I thought you just wanted help getting your project out to the car."

"No," Logan answered, the hurt coming back to him. "And it doesn't matter anyway cause I'm not going. I just, I just can't."

With that, Logan took off toward the stairs, the tears coming faster now. Without missing a beat, James took off after him. He needed to figure this out.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Life has been really hectic. Thanks to all of those for reading and reviewing. You all are so great!**


End file.
